September 10, 2020

VANCOUVER – Unifor is relieved that the B.C. Supreme Court has dismissed a constitutional challenge by a private health clinic attempting to make for profit, private health care legal.

“Today public health care won and this is a victory for everyone who uses health care in Canada,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Even though this attack was launched by a greedy doctor in British Columbia, it took aim at the very heart of the Canada Health Act. Justice Steeves decision ensures our health care system will continue to be based on need not on ability to pay.”

Cambie Surgery Clinic CEO Brian Day launched a decade long constitutional challenge after he learned his private for-profit surgical centres were going to be audited by the B.C. Government. The Cambie clinic sought to make health care more profitable by striking down the key sections of the British Columbia Medicare Protection Act. In particular, Day wanted the ability to charge patients beyond the public plan, allow paying patients to jump the queue and allow doctors to give preferential treatment to wealthy patients with private insurance or those willing to pay out-of-pocket.

“Today’s ruling sends a strong message to those wanting to privatize our health care system – Canada’s public health care is here to stay,” said Katha Fortier, Assistant to Unifor National President. “Canadians want improvements to their health care system and that starts with all levels of government providing adequate funding and support.”

In the court’s ruling, the Honourable Mr. Justice Steeves dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims that the B.C. Medicare Protection Act violate their rights under ss. 7 and 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector and represents 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

As back-to-school season begins, Unifor continues to press for safe conditions for children, teachers, education workers, janitorial staff and bus drivers. A recent webinar hosted by the union’s Education Department about the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women, highlighted school and child care closures as a key component of the dramatic drop in women’s workforce participation since March.

Members shared their experiences including fears for their children with special needs, and concern for education assistants and school bus drivers who cannot socially distance in their work. Many members spoke of their own mental health deterioration trying to juggle working from home and home-schooling their children.

Atlantic Regional Director Linda MacNeil highlighted the impact on essential workers.

”Our members are between a rock and a hard place,” said MacNeil. “So many of them are essential services workers with exposure to the public. We need them to go to work and yet we are increasing their risk if we aren’t putting enough resources towards a safe re-opening of schools and child care facilities. This is hitting women particularly hard, both at work and at home.”

The process of developing a plan for school re-opening has varied across the country. Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle contrasted the approaches of governments in the West.

“B.C. has involved unions, parents, child care advocates and health professionals to work towards a safe re-opening,” said McGarrigle. “This can be contrasted with provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba where their austerity-led autocracy undermines the public school system and endangers workers and children.”

Unifor education locals in Alberta have been active in mobilizing against lay offs and lack of appropriate protections to return to the classroom.

Ontario Regional Director Naureen Rizvi kept up the pressure with the Premier by underscoring September’s pivot point for parents, workers, children and the economy. Unifor bus driving members have increased their engagement, concerned about having as many as three classrooms-worth of students on each bus every day. While alterations for classrooms are underway, children will still be crammed into busses with, in some cases, three to a seat.

“The biggest test of Premier Ford’s leadership so far in this pandemic will be as our children go back to school,” said Rizvi. “As a parent of school-aged children and as a labour activist I am startled and deeply concerned by the lack of appropriate education funding and protocols in place and have urged Doug Ford to urgently invest in education and child care for the sake of all Ontarians’ health and safety.”

Unifor encourages members to contact their local provincial representatives to advocate for a #SafeSeptember.

TORONTO—Unifor members at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors have authorized their bargaining committees to take strike action, if necessary, to secure fair contract settlements.

“Our members voted overwhelmingly to support their bargaining committees and our bargaining priorities, including; job security, product commitments and economic gains for all members” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. “We will continue to push our agenda at the bargaining table, but remind government that they have an active role to play in securing our auto industry’s future. A future made in Canada.”

Workers at General Motors voted 95.3 per cent in favour, those at Ford Motor Company voted 96.4 per cent in favour and at FCA, voted 98.4 per cent in favour of strike action in votes that took place over the weekend. On or around Labour Day, Unifor plans to announce the company designated as the strike target, and will continue negotiations with that company until reaching a settlement and no later than the strike deadline on September 21 at 11:59 p.m.

For additional information and background, please go to Unifor.org/AutoTalks2020.

Unifor opened formal contract talks with the Detroit Three in Toronto on August 12th, using new protocols for social distancing. Unifor’s theme for these talks is The Future is Made in Canada. A digital media kit including contact information, background on Canada’s auto industry can be found on this website which will be updated regularly.

TORONTO—Unifor is calling on the Ontario government to immediately drop conditions contained in its Federal-Provincial Safe Restart Agreement that include municipal public transit privatization and service reduction measures.

“Public transit is not the problem, it’s actually the solution to many of our economic challenges. Yet the Ford government is intent on advancing an agenda of service cuts and privatization when transit agencies have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to slip in ideologically-motivated conditions on public transit funding is unthinkable. Ontarians aren’t going to accept this senseless undermining of such a valuable and necessary service.”

Unifor learned of specific requirements that municipalities seeking Phase II of funding for transit under the Federal-Provincial Safe Restart Agreement would be required to fulfill. Most troubling are the requirements that municipalities must work with the Province and Metrolinx, where applicable, to determine the feasibility of implementing microtransit options on certain routes. This could result in the use of privately-run, on-demand, app-based modes of transportation, such as Uber or Lyft. Municipalities will also be required to review low performing bus routes to determine whether they could also be served better by microtransit.

Unifor outlined its concerns with the strategy in a letter sent to Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney yesterday.

“The funding under this agreement is public money. That means it should not be withheld under any circumstances, especially during this pandemic when our cities and public transit systems are in critical need of financial help,” said Naureen Rizvi, Unifor’s Ontario Director. “We cannot and will not allow the government to threaten reducing transit service levels on supposed ‘low-performing’ routes that threatens the quality of life for marginalized people in this province.”

Unifor is calling on the Ontario government to immediately remove its regressive conditions from the Safe Restart Agreement and work with trade unions to expand public transit services and ensure communities have access to adequate funding